


What they do

by TheIceQueen



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Awesome Castiel (Supernatural), Caretaker Castiel (Supernatural), Caretaking, Drugs, Gen, Hurt Jack, Injury, Medical Procedures, Needles, Nervous Castiel (Supernatural), Nervousness, Painkillers, Poor Jack, Protective Castiel (Supernatural), Stitches, Worried Dean Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-12-22 22:36:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21084230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheIceQueen/pseuds/TheIceQueen
Summary: This was written for a prompt on Tumblr:"Can I please have some more hurt!Jack with caretaker!Cas sometime soon? I'd love it if Cas and Jack are alone in the bunker and Cas is overwhelmed while looking through supplies and needs to call Dean and Sam for advice/instructions."@reinavalerianox, thank you for the prompt. I hope you like it.





	What they do

Both Cas and Jack was without powers and both Cas and Jack had insisted that they could go on a hunt just the two of them. Dean had been the overprotective one and shouted at both them and Sam when Sam had encouraged them to go. They had been on lots of cases where use of powers were unnecessary, so they could manage without. Right now Cas wished with all his heart that Dean had gotten the last word.

With Jack hanging with one arm over Cas shoulder, Cas made it slowly down the corridor to the bunker’s infirmary. The boy was hardly supporting any weight and as he got heavier Cas had to slow down a few times to get a better grip around his waist.

“Cas… They’re not here.” Jack’s slurred words were broken up by his loud breaths.

The drive home hadn’t been long but Cas felt like he’d just spent hours, with one hand on the wheel and the other pressing his coat firmly down on the wound on Jack’s thigh. He’s used the time convincing Jack, squirming under the pain from the pressure, that Sam and Dean would have made it back from their own hunt before them. He knew that they probably wouldn’t be.

“It’s okay. You don’t need three people to patch you up.”

After Cas had lost his powers again, Dean had made him watch every time he and Sam patched each other up. The words from last time resonated in Cas’s head as he pushed the door to the infirmary open and pulled Jack towards a bed: _Look closely, you’re doing it next time. You need practice, if you ever have to do this without supervision._

This could very well end up being the _next time_, and if Cas didn’t get a hold of Dean and Sam soon, it _would_ be without supervision.

“Easy down.” Cas felt Jack shake as he held his breath while Cas helped him sit down on the bed. He swayed slightly, but kept enough control to keep seated.

“Take a second to breathe.”

Jack nodded and took a deep breathe, but it didn’t seem to do much for his shaking knees and pale face. The bandage around Jack’s thigh hadn’t done much, and after Cas had taken the coat and the pressure off, to move Jack, new lines of blood was adding to the almost dried ones down his leg. Cas lifted Jack’s legs slowly to lie them in the bed. He almost stopped when Jack let out a pained groan and did what little he could to resist the movement.

“I’m sorry. You need to have your leg elevated.”

Cas situated the leg on a few pillows, he grabbed from two other beds, and helped Jack to lie down with a hand behind his neck and one on his shoulder. He was too cold, too pale and too tired even after the hunt and the pain.

“Jack?” Cas put a hand on Jack’s cheek to turn his face towards himself.

The tears that had sprung from Jack’s eyes when Cas had added pressure to the wound, had left dry salty lines over his cheeks. Cas swallowed the lump in his throat and gathered himself enough to speak calmly. “I’m going to find a few things. You need to stay awake.”

When Jack’s nod was a little too slow for Cas’s liking, he put his other hand on the other cheek and held his head steady. “Jack. You need to stay awake. Can you do that?”

Jack inhaled deeply and took control of his own head and nodded. “Okay. I’m not…” He took another deep breath as if he’d realized that his words were slurring again. “I’m not that tired.”

It was oddly difficult for Cas to turn his back to Jack, even when he knew that Jack would get better faster if he hurried up and got everything. As he pulled antiseptic, bandages and pain medicine from the cupboards he noticed that his hands were shaking. He’d seen Sam and Dean do this countless times, and even without powers, Cas knew his memory was better than most, so why did he hesitate when taking a suture kit from the drawer?

“Jack?!” Cas dropped everything on the small table next to the bed and took Jack’s face with both hands again. “Jack. Look at me.”

With an almost silent moan, Jack slowly opened his eyes and found Cas’s. Quickly, Cas looked down Jack’s body and noticed the bandage was almost completely soaked and blood was already starting to color the sheet on the bed.

“Hang on for a little longer.” Cas waited for Jack to nod a little before letting go and grabbing one of the new bandages.

Jack whimpered shortly as Cas lifted his leg to pull the bandage under. “I’m sorry.” Trying hard to ignore Jack’s cry of pain, Cas tightened the bandage tight around the old one. This time it would hold; Jack wasn’t moving around anymore.

Without thinking about the blood on his hands he grabbed one of Jack’s and held it tight. The boy was panting and tears were running over his face again. “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you bleed out.”

Jack nodded as he calmed himself with a few gasps of air and cleared his throat. “Cas… Where’s Sa… -nd Dean?”

Cas forced a smile and laid Jack’s hand down on his chest. “They’re on their way. I will help you. I am just going to call Sam to make sure I don’t miss anything.”

Jack’s eyes were already closing slowly again, before he’s nodded twice. Cas wanted to shake him and make him open his eyes, but he knew that he needed to stop the bleeding before Jack could stay awake.

Cas walked to the cupboards with IV’s and drugs. Sam and Dean kept everything labeled clearly, and Cas had a hunch that Sam had made everything more idiot-proof after Jack and himself lost their powers. Right now Cas felt like more than an idiot. He was pretty sure he knew what to do, but he was also doubting everything his mind told him. He picked up his phone and called Dean. Sam was probably the obvious choice when dealing with the medical stuff, but somehow Cas felt like Dean would be the one who could help him best now.

“_Cas, it’s really not a good time Sam and I…_”

“Jack is hurt.” Cas figured that getting that fact inn there quick was the only way to get Dean to listen when he was in the middle of a hunt.

“_What do you mean “hurt”?_”

“He got the werewolf. You should have seen him. He looked just like you… except that it got him too.”

“_Cas! Get to the point. Where are you? How is he hurt?_”

Maybe Dean hadn’t been the best to call anyway. Him and Jack had a relationship that none of them really understood, except that it was a strong one, and another thing that was strong was Dean’s protective instinct. Cas could hear Dean’s fast breathing and it wasn’t because he was in some kind of “situation” because the only other sound was Sam trying to talk in the background, but was clearly cut off by Dean.

“His thigh it cut. It’s two claw marks, maybe eight-nine inches. He’s lost a lot of blood; it’s not running fast but it took a long time getting back here.”

“_You’re in the bunker?_” Dean sounded suddenly relieved.

“Yes. How far away are you?” Cas knew that if Sam and Dean still hadn’t wrapped the case, they would be six hours away, and that was with Dean driving. “I’m not sure he can wait much longer.”

“_No. You have to fix him._” Dean paused to cut Sam off again with a small hum. “_Give him blood first, just like the IV-fluid, but use the big needle and put it in his arm. You know how to do that._”

Now Cas knew why he'd called Dean. Sam would have formed that as a question, and right now Cas was questioning everything himself and someone, not even asking, was exactly what he needed.

“Yes. You showed me when Sam got knocked out.” Cas pulled the necessary paraphernalia out of the drawer and opened the small cooler where they all had a few bags of their own blood stored. Sam had insisted on it. “For a rainy day” he’d said. Cas guessed that this would qualify.

“_Good. The dosage for the morphine is on the label._”

“No Dean.” Sam must have thought the same because Cas could hear him object in the background. “He didn’t react right to that when he broke his wrist.”

“_Oh yeah. Crap! Okay, then give him the nitro, but not if he’s too out of it to answer. You probably have to use local anesthesia too, but if the wounds are as big as you say it may be hard to cover all of it._”

“Okay.”

Cas found the right shelf and checked every word and made mental notes about the dosage, as Dean rambled off everything.

“_Alright. Get that blood going and make sure to clean the cuts good. Infection and blood loss don’t mix. We just have to clean up some things and then we’re on our way. If you need; call Sam. I’ll be driving._”

With the tone Dean ended the call, and that he’d asked Cas to call Sam, made Cas sure that the drive home would be done in under six hours.

He put everything on a table with wheels and moved it to Jack. The pale boy had his eyes closed and was breathing too slow. Cas once again convinced himself that working on getting him better was more important than trying to get him fully awake. He hastily pulled over a chair and sat down next to the bed. When he took Jack’s hand, the boy loosely folded his fingers around Cas’s, but otherwise didn’t move.

“I’m here Jack. You’re not alone.” Jack opened his eyes for a second and turned his head towards Cas, before closing them again with a big sigh.

Not wanting to let go of Jack’s hand, Cas did everything with one hand. “You need blood. It’s just a needle, right here…” Cas wiped the crease of Jack’s elbow with an alcohol swab. Jack didn’t react. “You know how it is. Sam gave you fluid like this when you broke your wrist.”

When Jack still didn’t react, Cas pushed in the needle. A small disconcerted moan made it out of Jack’s throat, and Cas hesitated for a second before he pulled out the needle and secured the cannula with tape. He quickly attached the blood bag and got it running. Cas got the gas and mask ready, but didn’t give it to Jack yet. He knew that he couldn’t make him pass out completely with that and Jack was already close to unconscious.

Before taking off the bandage, somehow found himself hesitating again. So far everything had been done fast with no reason to stop and think twice. Dean had confirmed everything he already knew, so why was his hands shaking as he put on cloves?

He shook the doubt out of his head and started cutting the bandage on the outer side of Jack’s thigh not to touch the two long cuts down the front. Jack moaned and lifted his head a little, as if he wanted to look down, but never got than far. He didn’t open his eyes either.

“I’m sorry. Just a little more and I’ll give you anesthesia. Just like…” Cas stopped. Jack hadn’t done this before. A chill ran down Cas’s spine as he realized that the first stitches he would ever make, would be the first stitches Jack had ever gotten.

He held of on the rest of the bandage for a minute and stood over Jack.

“Jack?”

It was like the boy’s breathing got more pronounced for a second, but Cas couldn’t be sure that he was reacting to him. Deciding to put on new gloved after, Cas took Jack’s hand in his and turned his face up towards him with a light grip on his chin.

“Jack. I need you to listen.”

Jack moved his head a little upwards as in half a nod, but soon lost concentration.

Cas wasn’t giving up. “Jack! Listen! Squeeze my hand.”

A, too long, moment went by, but eventually Jack’s fingers wrapped themselves around Cas’s hand. The relief was overwhelming, but Cas didn’t let it distract him and pause too long.

“Good, Jack. Now, open your eyes, I need to talk to you.”

A hum filled the quiet room and Jack’s eyes fluttered slowly open.

“There. Good. Jack, can you listen for a second?”

Jack’s eyes blinked slow enough that Cas panicked for a second and squeezed Jack’s hand harder, but Jack found Cas’s eyes again and nodded a little in Cas’s hold.

“Okay. You need stitches, and I need to give you a local anesthetic.”

The frown on Jack’s forehead prompted Cas to believe that Jack wasn’t fully aware of what was happening or how he ended up here. Cas had had stitched once and had hated every second. On one side, he really would have liked being as out of it as Jack was right now, on the other, he wouldn’t want to be surprised with it.

“Jack, do you hear me?”

“Yeah. Werewolf.”

Cas breathed in a long relieved inhale. “That’s right. You got hurt. I need to give you stitches.”

“Sam…? Where?” Jack was only whispering now and his blinks were getting longer.

“I will do it, Jack. You are going to be okay.” Cas put Jack’s hand down again and let his head fall slowly to the side. As he let go Jack’s eyes fell shut again. “We can do this.”

“Cold…” Jack whispered and Cas would have missed it if he hadn’t decided to put on gloves before moving the chair closer. He damned himself ad he ran to gather the blankets from two other beds. Of course Jack was cold. He’d lost enough blood to be close to unconscious.

“Here.” Cas got Jack wrapped so only his face and the hurt leg was to be seen. Why hadn’t he noticed how cold Jack was before now? “I will get you better.”

Cas was in a hurry to get seated and get cloves on. The outer bandage came of with almost no objections from Jack, but when Cas had cut the first one and lifted it off the bare wounds, Jack cried out and reached down for Cas’s arm. Cas looked up and saw tired eyes look at him, barely holding open.

“I know it hurts Jack. Tell me, where you are?”

Even with Jack’s eyes almost closed. Cas saw more contact in them now than before.

“The bunker.”

Cas looked at the wound; he needed to hurry. “Good. What am I going to do?”

Jack looked confused for a second and then looked down his side and back at Cas. “Stitches. Injections…?” The last was a question about the anesthetic and Cas took that as an okay thing to ask, since he hadn’t clarified how it was going to be administered.

“That’s right. It will be okay. Everything is fine.” Somehow Cas believed himself saying that. Maybe it was because he’d just gotten the conversation he needed to make sure that Jack was both not as far gone as he’d feared, but also okay to have the gas take away some of the pain. He pulled the tank over and turned it on as Dean had told him.

“This will help.” He put the mask over Jack’s mouth and nose and followed his head turn as he moaned and pulled away. “Shh, Jack. It’s for the pain.”

Jack took a deep breath and looked back to Cas. Cas nodded with a smile and Jack took another. After putting the elastic behind Jack’s head, Cas put the third pair of gloves, in five minutes, on top of the one he was wearing. Jack moaned complainingly when Cas moved the bloody bandage away, and Cas wanted to grab his hand and explain and make sure he wasn’t scared, but he had already used too much time. The bleeding was slowed down considerably but it could change fast and there was also the threat of infection. Dean normally poured the antiseptic over the wound as soon as possible, but so much time had already passed getting back here, so Cas decided that the painkiller could go first.

The needle went in without a sound from Jack and Cas stole a quick look to see if his breathing had slowed down too much. There was no change from five seconds ago and when he started pressing in the drug, the moan from Jack broke over to a sob.

“I know, Jack. I’m sorry.”

As he injected the second time Jack was moving to get away. He was too sluggish and weak to move fast or far, so Cas forced himself to continue, reminding himself that Jack would be better off getting stitched up if this was done properly. Jack needed two more before Cas believed that the whole area was numbed, and by the last injection Jack was panting in the air and gas in the mask and had pulled his legs as far from Cas as the bed would allow.

“All done, Jack. I’m so sorry.” Cas spoke loudly, he wasn’t sure how present Jack was, but that also meant that there was no hiding his shaking breath and the lump in his throat.

With a shaky hand Cas put a cotton swab with antiseptic on the end of the cut he’d numbed first and to his relief, Jack didn’t react. He cleaned half an inch slowly and carefully, but as Jack didn’t even seem to notice that he was touching him, Cas sped things up and got the two still bleeding lines cleaned fast and thoroughly.

He didn’t even think as he got the crooked needle and the thread ready; he’d learned from watching two very experienced hunters for years. But when he put the needle to the skin he had to pause and force his hand to stop shaking. He looked at Jack’s relaxed face, and the mist filling the mask in the same pace as when he started cleaning the wound. Jack was breathing steadily and not too slow. Cas took a big breath of his own and turned back to the task at hand.

It took almost twenty-five minutes to get the two long lines sewn and Cas couldn’t figure out if it was fast because he wanted to get it over with for Jack. Or maybe it was slow because he had placed the stiches closer than necessary, to make sure it would heal right and that he only had to do it once. No matter what; the bleeding was stopped. When he cleaned cuts and the skin around it from blood, Jack breathed in fast and turned his head away, and Cas was happy that he was done. He knew that when painkillers started wearing off, they did it fast.

“It’s over Jack. You’re all done.”

Quickly, but oh so carefully, Cas got Jack’s leg wrapped in a new, clean bandage and covered his leg with the blankets.

With the gloves in the trash under the table, Cas pulled the chair closer to Jack’s head. He slowly pushed his hand between Jack’s cheek and the pillow, turning his face up towards him. Jack didn’t react. Cas swallowed a rushed breath and took the mask off. All his common sense told him that it was the gas that had Jack passed out. He’d already gone through half the blood and he hadn’t lost that much since they started that. He was even getting some color to his cheeks. Jack was only drugged, but Cas still hated every second Jack couldn’t confirm that with words. Cas reached under the blankets and took Jack’s hand. His fingers were cold, but it was warm under there and when Cas took his wrist to check Jack’s pulse his arm was warm.

For about ten minutes, Cas silently held an eye on Jack’s breathing and pulse. Both got slowly stronger and when his breathing changed to a slightly faster pace, Jack’s eyes fluttered open for a second.

“Jack?” Cas whispered, not wanting to startle Jack if he was still not quite there.

Jack turned his head an inch to have Cas right in front of him when he opened his eyes. When he did, Cas exhaled so fast with relief that he lost feeling in his legs for a second.

“Hi. How are you feeling? Are you in pain?”

Jack blinked slowly and smiled. “M- kay.” He lifted his head a little to look down, but gave up half way with a pained grimace and his hand grabbed tight on the fingers which, up until now, were still on his wrist.

Cas leaned in fast and supported his head down. “Don’t move yet.”

“No.” Jack had his eyes shut closed as he shook his head slowly. “My head…”

“Oh, yeah.” Cas relaxed his hand in Jack’s and Jack slowly seemed to get comfortable in the bed again. “It’s the gas. It can give you something resembling a hangover.”

Jack breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth and Cas was sure Jack was clearheaded; they had both seen Sam deal with the aftermath of the nitro like that. He was always more effected from it than Dean and Cas.

Cas let go of Jack’s hand and felt the boy’s eyes firmly on him as he got up. “You should sleep some more, but that might be easier if you don’t have blood all over you.” He brought back a bowl of lukewarm water and a few cloths.

After Cas had washed Jack’s face, neck and arms, Jack reached to open his bloody jeans. He hissed from pain as he shifted. Cas had wondered about them, they were stiff and sticky by now he was sure, but he didn’t want to be the one to ask Jack to take them off. He could however offer his help.

“Can I cut them off?” He asked a bit tentatively, but Jack only nodded and pushed the blankets to the side.

The fabric on the injured leg was already torn from hip to knee, so Cas only had to cut it the rest of the way down, and the waist too, so he could pull them off the other leg without touching the bandage. Jack didn’t even sit up or try to look at his thigh.

Cas covered him again and sat down next to him and when Jack placed a hand on top of the blanket, Cas took it in both of his. For the first time that day, Cas wasn’t filled with worry and fear when Jack’s eyes closed.

* * *

“Hey.” Dean whispered. “Cas.”

Cas’s back hurt as he stretched it and his eyes took forever to focus.

“Have you been sitting here all this time? Why didn’t you lie on one of the beds?”

The first thing Cas saw clearly was Jack’s hand in both of his and the red mark on his forearm where his forehead must have been resting for hours.

“Jack?!” Cas’s voice was panicked but also only a whisper.

“He seems fine.” Sam stood on the other side of the bed.

Cas turned to look up at Dean who had a hand on his shoulder. “Cas…? How long have you been sitting here?”

He didn’t have a watch on so he wasn’t sure. He looked up and saw that the saline bag, he’d put up after the blood had run through, was empty.

“I didn’t leave. I wanted to make sure he didn’t get a fever.”

“Well, he didn’t.” Sam smiled as he looked closely at Jack’s face, breathing and the IV. “Did you push antibiotics?”

Cas nodded. He’d done it as soon as he’d got the saline running.

Sam reached over Jack’s legs lifted up the blanket to see the bandage. There was only two short stripes of red, that hadn’t even colored the outer layer of gauze. Sam nodded and laid the blanked back down. “You’ve done good, Cas.”

Dean tightened his grip on Cas’s shoulder. “If that’s nine inch long werewolf claw marks, I’d say that you’ve done more than pretty damn good.”

Jack’s fingers moved in Cas’s hands and the brothers most have noticed Cas’s change in attention, because they were all three silently looking at Jack when he blinked his eyes open.

“Cas?”

Cas tightened his grip. “I’m right here.”

Jack nodded with a slight smile as he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. When he opened his eyes again, he looked from Dean to Sam and back. “My leg…?” He asked hesitatingly with a shake to his voice.

Sam quickly leaned in hand put a supportive hand on the boy’s shoulder. “You’re alright. You’re up and alert and there’s no fever. You’re not bleeding. Cas did absolutely everything right.”

Normally, Cas was immune to flatter, unless it was from Dean because he almost never give any, but in this case Cas was overjoyed that Sam could reassure Jack with those words.

Jack pulled Cas’s hand a little and looked at him. “It hurts.”

Dean let go of Cas’s shoulder and turned towards the drawers, but Sam was already there. When he came back he reached over to push it into the cannula, but Jack pulled his arm away. It didn’t get far though, since Cas was still holding his hand.

Cas held lightly on to his upper arm. “It’s alright, Jack. We wouldn’t give you morphine, this is not as strong.”

“I know.” Jack looked at Sam and then at the drug in his hand. “Cas…”

With silent agreement between Sam and Cas’s eyes, Sam handed him the drug. Cas smiled at Jack and pushed it into the attachment on his arm.

“Well. We’ve had a long couple of days, and is clearly not needed.” Dean walked around Jack and put his hand on the shin on his good leg. “Good to see that you’re alright.”

Sam nodded at Dean’s comment and sent Jack a smile. “I’ll be back in a few hours to look under the bandage, but you’re in good hands. Get some rest.” The demand was just as much for Cas as it was Jack.

The brothers left and Cas turned his attention back at Jack completely. “Does it still hurt? You can get a little more if you need it.”

Jack shook his head. “No, I’m okay now.” He looked down at his hand in Cas’s and for a second Cas wondered if it was weird, now that Jack was fully awake and not in pain, but Jack quickly squeezed his fingers. “Cas… Thank you.”

Sam and Dean never thanked each other after getting patched up, often the opposite, when Cas thought it over. It was mostly grunts of pain and complaints about being pitied.

“There’s nothing to thank for. I did what we do… I only did what Sam and Dean would have done.”

Jack shook his head. “Yeah, you did. Even when you hadn’t done it before; I was the only one out of it. Thank you.”

As Jack fell asleep, Cas wondered if the worry he’d heard in Dean’s voice on the phone was how he always felt. If Sam and Dean just hid it from him and each other when the stakes were high. Just like he’d tried to hide his panic with Jack; which he, one way or another, had succeeded in. Maybe he wasn’t the only one doubting his own abilities when dealing with serious injuries. It should make him feel worse about the prospect of ever needing medical help again, but it didn’t. It didn’t make sense but somehow he felt more secure if he would have to be in the Winchesters care.


End file.
